SECRET INVASION Director Ali Selim Shares His Take On How Long [SPOILER] Was A Skrull Imposter

SECRET INVASION Director Ali Selim Shares His Take On How Long [SPOILER] Was A Skrull Imposter

With speculation running rampant about how long a certain MCU fan-favourite was replaced by a shape-shifting Skrull, we may now have clarification from Secret Invasion director Ali Selim. Check it out...

News
By JoshWilding - Jul 28, 2023 07:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Secret Invasion
Source: ComicBook.com

Secret Invasion quickly made it clear that something was up with Don Cheadle's Rhodey, and we'd later learn that War Machine had been replaced by one of Gravik's Skrulls, Raava.

As a trusted advisor to the U.S. President, Colonel Rhodes was able to manipulate Ritson and pushed him into starting World War III. Timely intervention from Nick Fury and Sonya Falsworth stopped that and saw the shape-shifter take a bullet to the head. Rhodey, meanwhile, was later freed from Gravik's base. 

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that the hero had trouble walking and was wearing a hospital gown, suggesting he's been in captivity since the events of Captain America: Civil War. 

Now, Secret Invasion director Ali Selim appears to have confirmed that. 

"A lot of people have asked about, 'Definitively, when did Rhodey...?'" he tells ComicBook.com. "I think his legs not working in the end of episode six and him being in the hospital gown points to ['Captain America: Civil War']."

"And, from there, does it have to be definitive, or is it more fun for the audience to go back and revisit every moment, every Rhodey moment and look at it with a different lens now that they think, 'Oh, he might’ve been a Skrull there.' And make the decision for themselves, or it'll be answered in 'Armor Wars.'"

While Selim likely has limited knowledge about the MCU's future, it makes sense for Rhodey to remain on the shelf until that Armor Wars movie rolls around. There, we'll not only learn how long he was replaced but also the ramifications of that. 

If the real Rhodey really has been M.I.A. since Captain America: Civil War, he doesn't know that Tony Stark is dead. We'd also put money on that Skrull getting up to no good with the Stark Industries technology he had access to, potentially explaining why the events of Armor Wars unfold. 

Let us know your Rhodey theories in the comments section below. 

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KWilly
KWilly - 7/28/2023, 7:53 AM
So this is kinda like the "Where's Steve Roger's?" mystery. It's smart, so Marvel can be vague, but also gather opinions on it. But at least Cap 4 has a release date, I have no clue if and when Armor Wars will be released.
Origame
Origame - 7/28/2023, 8:00 AM
I mean, all that really means he wasn't in infinity war/endgame (where he didn't do much as a character anyway), and that he doesn't know Tony is dead. There really isn't much to speculate on.

...outside of Tony stank I guess
newhire13
newhire13 - 7/28/2023, 8:15 AM
@Origame - The problem is that it was just very much inconsistent with what we’ve seen from him. I mean, that Skrull was so deep undercover that she faked not being able to walk and move and almost drowned when Thanos dropped Avengers HQ on them? That’s dedication if so lol. The mini pep talk to Nebula, concern for Sam right before the SNAP. It would just make more logical sense if they say he got replaced during the chaos of that final Thanos fight or right after Endgame, before Tony’s funeral.
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 7/28/2023, 9:52 AM
@newhire13 - I agree. Would be a bad move if they try to say he was captured before those events. The fact that he couldnt walk doesn't tell us much other than it was AFTER civil war...Hopefully it was long after.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 7/28/2023, 12:59 PM
@Shivermetimbers - Or in my head canon. He was replaced after the events of Endgame when he went for an MRI to check for more spine damage and when he went into the machine he was knocked out and replaced by a Skrull.
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 7/28/2023, 8:03 AM
I have a question though, if the nuclear plant was full of radiation, how did they survive for years? Who fed them? How did they go to the toilet? Who shaved them, cut their hair, changed their clothes?

That show was so poorly made.
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 7/28/2023, 8:10 AM
@Usernametaken - I have another question, if 3 years have past between civil war and infinity war, and 5 years between the Infinity war and endgame, and then another 3 years between endgame and Secret Invasion.

Does that mean Rhodey was in there for 11 years? Really Mr Selim?

At least the director proves to us how great the creative team behind Secret Invasion truly was.
TempleRod
TempleRod - 7/28/2023, 8:15 AM
@Usernametaken - How did real Rhodey and the others live under that radiation for years?

How was Fury so sure that Gi'ah would end up under the Harvest effect? Like he's making this big plan and none of it involves the possibility that she would end up outside that radius?

Everything about the show is just one chain after another chain of nonsense. Like at first, I guess we were assuming things would start adding up. That's why the reaction to this last installment has been so bad. They treated us like rubes. At every point, I thought, "Oh hey, guess what? Maybe this stupid thing will be explained next episode"
And it just never happened.

One of the things that bugs me most, and it's a very minor thing. But when Fury pulled off his entry to Norway, he used the Black Widow concealment device. And then when he got in the car with the UK Lady, he said, and she directly questioned him about why they didn't have one that worked for the whole body.
He replied something to the effect of 'Yeah that's not this one, but we have that technology.'

So to most rational people, that interchange would only be included, IF LATER ON in the show, the full body device was actually used.
Why would you just senselessly bring that up, and not use it?

So many things about this show point to similar fails in very basic writing. Over and over, set ups with no pay offs. just like a trainwreck of things happening one after another, for no reason.

I actually hate that I spent the time watching this show. NO MORE. No more goodwill.
I will watch these shows after they come out from now on. They all just end up sucking so bad.
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 7/28/2023, 8:31 AM
@TempleRod - They really don't care anymore, and it shows.
But they still expect us to care enough to keep watching...
AC1
AC1 - 7/28/2023, 8:39 AM
@Usernametaken - honestly, surviving the radiation is probably the easiest thing to explain about this whole thing, could just be chalked up to "alien tech" - like maybe the machines keep them in some kind of stasis so they don't need to be fed, don't grow their hair or whatever, protects them from radiation, etc.

It's everything else that doesn't make sense about it, like how the Rhodey we've seen between Civil War and FATWS clearly wasn't a Skrull for so many reasons.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 7/28/2023, 10:07 AM
@Usernametaken - I think it's explained in the first episode that they're resistant to radiation as a species. As for your other questions, they'd been on earth for 25 years. Odds are some of them picked up skills, including things like "grocery shopping."
ReverseFlasher
ReverseFlasher - 7/28/2023, 10:34 AM
@TempleRod - yeah the widows veil convo is utterly stupid if it wasnt for a later callback . Have a feeling this was a reshoot thing and maybe the veil did come into play originally.
CLTMAN29
CLTMAN29 - 7/28/2023, 10:45 AM
@Usernametaken - 9 years. CW: 2016. iw: 2018. Five year blip to 2023. MCU is now in 2025.

But yes the point still stands like the above, in that how the [frick] did they keep them alive all that time? Unless the Skrull stasis kind of does it for them?

And here's another thing - what about all those in statis who would have blipped? Sure that would have [frick]ed things up too.
TempleRod
TempleRod - 7/28/2023, 8:06 AM
LOL. Marvel has NO IDEA what they are doing anymore.
Their own writers don't even really know what the hell is going on.

Again, as someone naturally tuned to things other than Marvel, and who has resented their dominance years ago, I can't say I'm not happy to see the news every day now. But honestly, it's also kind of alarming or disheartening to see what they're actually putting out now.
It does not sit well with me. You want the competition to actually have a heartbeat before you overtake them.
Thing like D+ are just depressing and no fun for any of us.
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 7/28/2023, 8:12 AM
@PlusUltra - it’s [frick]ing astounding how they [frick]ed this up

I pray this writer strike goes on longer - give them time to realize half of the shit they rushed out wasnt needed , a lot of the upcoming shit also isn’t needed
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 7/28/2023, 8:15 AM
This is a bad decision , they could’ve literally had it be post endgame at ANY POINT like maybe that’s why Rhodey is all of a sudden into politics when he preferred to be a career military man

Since civil war contradicts the show , since they said the blip / endgame made them start the invasion since fury disappeared reappeared and disappeared again, we supposed to believe it’s been just 1 rogue skrull ? Or even the Ross reveal cause the mf just got snatched by wakanda in BP2 so they just let him free again and the govt didn’t try to track him down ??
MaxPaint
MaxPaint - 7/28/2023, 8:24 AM
" make the decision for themselves, or it'll be answered in 'Armor Wars.'"

You can't be serious.
Forthas
Forthas - 7/28/2023, 8:32 AM
I was waiting for a train and this weird thought popped in my head. At the end of Endgame Captain America presents Falcon with his Shield. But where did he get it from? Thanos destroyed the original one and the end makes it seem like he quietly spent the rest of his days with Peggy. So he would not have needed another shield. If he went to Shield to get a new one made, then they would know time travel is possible.
AC1
AC1 - 7/28/2023, 8:35 AM
@Forthas - Probably Wakanda, since it's made of Vibranium and they're the ones who have most (if not all) of it. May be the case that he asked for it to be made as a replacement for his own, obviously not telling them that he was planning on retiring in the past, and he may have stashed it away ready to retrieve it and give it to Sam when he returned as an old man.
Forthas
Forthas - 7/28/2023, 9:39 AM
@AC1 - A bit convoluted but I guess within the realm of possibility.
CLTMAN29
CLTMAN29 - 7/28/2023, 10:53 AM
@Forthas - It's also a slightly different shield design. I would assume they had spares/ Stark could whip them up, Wakanda etc. Vibranium is more readily available than it was in the 1940's. Stands to reason when Stark was bankrolling the Avengers he's have build all kinds of back ups/spares/enhancements etc.
AC1
AC1 - 7/28/2023, 8:32 AM
I think it was a Reel Rejects video I was watching yesterday that pointed out how dumb it would be if Rhodey did get switched out during the events of Civil War. It'd mean the character development he's had since then never happened.

From just being the guy who tags along if Tony needs a hand and signed the Sokovia Accords; to the guy in Infinity War who made it pretty clear that his injuries taught him the lesson not to blindly follow orders when he told Secretary Ross he'd "paid for" his choice to sign the Accords; to being one of the heroes who helped bring half the universe back from the dead AND watching his best friend sacrifice himself in Endgame; to going into politics and trying to help Sam choose whether to become the new Captain America in FATWS... Yeah none of that actually happened because he was being held hostage and impersonated by a Skrull instead.

Not only that, but it makes no sense plot-wise either - the Rhodey impostor in Secret Invasion was played pretty differently to the version we've seen between Civil War and FATWS, he didn't hide the fact he was a Skrull anywhere near as well in SI than in any of those other appearances. Also, why would he have been working with Gravik to try and wipe out humanity when he'd spent all that time working with The Avengers? And if he was a Skrull since Civil War, and we'd seen him using the War Machine armour in every movie appearance since - why wouldn't he have used it in Secret Invasion?! It would've been a huge help to Gravik, and in the finale I'm sure he could've justified using it to "protect" the President!

It literally makes no sense other than being done for shock value if it was in Civil War so I really hope that's not the case.
Vigor
Vigor - 7/28/2023, 8:41 AM
@AC1 - all good points. But I'm fine with it. Because even in the comics, it was shocking who was a skrull for so long. And those people had been doing "heroic" things too, all in an effort to fit in. I'm sure it's in the skrulls interest that thanos doesn't raze Earth (skrulls new home).

I think adding this tragic angle to Rhodey makes him 1000% more interesting
Vigor
Vigor - 7/28/2023, 8:44 AM
@Vigor @ac1 - meant to add, that I would have banked money we would see the Rhodey armor at the end.
How cool would it have been if g'iah freed Rhodey. He gets his armor back (how? Idk. I'm not a writer. Just a theorist) then we see him suit up and take on Gravik 1on1. Much better than seeing g'iah go all Adaptoid on us
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/28/2023, 8:46 AM
@AC1 - I don’t know if really was played all that differently when he wasn’t with Fury after he found out

Even in the restaurant scene , I could see our Rhodey maybe making that choice that he does to fire Fury.

I do hope his replacement was at most post EG
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/28/2023, 8:49 AM
@Vigor - yeah plus Thanos in Infinity War was planning to snap half the universe and there aren’t many Skrull’s left in the first place so it makes sense that Fauxdey would not want that
Vigor
Vigor - 7/28/2023, 8:56 AM
@TheVisionary25 - wait

I think i like fauxdey more than Skrhodey ‼️
AC1
AC1 - 7/28/2023, 9:05 AM
@TheVisionary25 - actually yeah I guess you're right that he only acts really obvious about being a Skrull around Fury after being found out
AC1
AC1 - 7/28/2023, 9:11 AM
@Vigor - I have to admit I'm not too familiar with the Secret Invasion comic and only have a vague knowledge of some parts of it, but even so comics tend to get away with a lot more than movies and TV can because of things like how they exist on a sliding timeline and tend to have slightly looser continuity than anything in live action.

I can see how Skrull-Rhodey playing the hero would make sense as a way of fitting in and helping with any common interests the Skrulls shared with The Avengers, but way too much happened to Rhodey during that time period to sweep it under the rug by revealing that he's been a Skrull for like eleven in-universe years.

Also as someone else mentioned elsewhere in the comics, didn't they confirm that Gravik only started planning his revolution after the Blip? Meaning it wouldn't have even made sense to replace Rhodey before that?
GhostDog
GhostDog - 7/28/2023, 8:34 AM
One of the stupidest decisions they’ve made. An insult to the character
Vigor
Vigor - 7/28/2023, 8:37 AM
Every other comment will be a complaint which is the new norm. But i want to speculate like we used to do around here

- So damage control confiscated Stark tech
- Skrhodey likely shared inside secrets about the war machine armor
- Valentina likely going for vibranium (wakanda) or for the dead Eternal's matter
- I see Riri factoring in because she literally creates armor in her garage
- white vision is partly Starks creation

Armor wars really could be a fun Romp. And I can see it being a pseudo Avengers movie the way Civil War was.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/28/2023, 8:41 AM
I have mixed feelings on this…

If he’s been replaced since Civil War then any emotional moment he has such as Tony’s death feels undercut and I don’t like that personally.

However , him not knowing Tony’s died and the grief aswell as guilt of not being there for him would be interesting to explore if done well and strong fuel to his desire to protect his best friends legacy as the movie has been stated to be.

We’ll see.
Baf
Baf - 7/28/2023, 8:42 AM
I think it's obvious that he's been a Skrull since Iron Man 2. Jeesh! He didn't even look like the real Rhodey! Dumb ass superheroes...
xHollywoodx
xHollywoodx - 7/28/2023, 8:54 AM
If Rhodey was a Skrull since Civil War then maybe just maybe Marvel is trying say Stark or some of these other characters could be a Skrull. Maybe the reason why Skrull Rhodey was crying in Endgame is because it was Skrull Stark that died.
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